In their book, they explain “the seven leadership principles that drive break-out success” at McDonald’s. These are honesty and integrity, courage, standards, leading by example, communication, relationships and recognition. These principles are related to each other and even co-dependent. Paul Facella is a former top executive at McDonald’s.
According to the authors, honesty and integrity have been the keystones of McDonald’s growth. At McDonald’s, they built an organization where stakeholders know they will be treated fairly and respectfully. Choosing honesty and integrity over quick profit opportunities is a good way to build lasting partnerships that enable key players to grow in a value chain. Giving trust elicits trust. Without espousing honesty and integrity, the quality of service to your customer will suffer.
At McDonald’s, they invest in relationships. From employee to CEO, from vendor to licensee, each party is connected to the other. They turn to one another for support and insight and know back-up is always there. In order to improve relationships, the authors suggest you should try to find time to really get to know the people with whom you work. Learning about their motivations will help you to respond to them better. Being friends with your colleagues will open the way to trust and teamwork.
Setting standards is the third principle. “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” The quote from McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc shows the importance of standards at McDonald’s. At issue are not only service standards but rising expectations from employees. “Never be satisfied” is McDonald’s motto. They use the principle, “Never accept any standard but the very best.” Good enough won’t cut it in today’s competitive world. Continually challenging the team to improve performance is important.
Leading by example is the fourth principle. The leaders of the company are role models for employees. When Kroc first met with Facella, in his limousine, he gave the most comfortable seat to Facella, saying he was the guest. By this simple and nice gesture, he set the bar for customer service. Customers are always guests, and they deserve the best. Leading by example is evident in McDonald’s system. The percentage of company restaurant managers that started as McDonald’s crew is 63.6. Most restaurant managers and top management of the company started as crew. So, they set a good example of the right kind of behavior needed to rise at McDonald’s.
The fifth principle is courage -- telling it like it is. Kroc once said, “Achievement must be made against the possibility of failure, against the risk of defeat.” Courage is sometimes needed in making experiments and sometimes in abandoning practices. Courage is also needed for listening to the truth and speaking the truth.
The sixth principle is communication: It is not how often you communicate, it is how well. Communication is McDonald’s central tool. Telling its story to the public created the market for fast food and employees. Communication is not about only websites or blogs; more than that, communication is one-on-one conversation. There should be a human touch as much as possible.
The final principle of McDonald’s is recognition. According to the authors, there is no better way to inspire a team than recognition. A lot of readers who visit McDonald’s restaurants notice the picture of the employee of the month on the wall. Every month, an employee is awarded Employee of the Month. McDonald’s gives more than 20 individual awards -- to employees, suppliers and licensees. A handshake is no doubt the least expensive way to recognize top performers and perhaps the most effective. But simply remembering people’s names is a great motivator as well. Making people feel important is a great motivation tool.
There is great wisdom for everyone in the leadership practices of the world’s most successful restaurant chain, and this book is a ticket to this wisdom.
